McLoughlin Succeeds on NBC's 'The Voice'

A local singer-songwriter who gave up on graduate school to pursue his dream of having a career as a musical performer is on his way to the next phase of  the popular singing competition, "The Voice."

Collin McLoughlin sang his own version of Cat Stevens' "Wild World," and impressed judges Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine and and Blake Shelton enough for them to turn their chairs around to hear more. Christina Aguilera did not turn her chair, and said McLoughlin was a bit "mellow" for her style.

Levine, the front man for the band Maroon 5, told McLoughlin he had "one of the purest voices" he'd heard yet on the show, which pairs up-and-coming talent with current musical star coaches.

Though country music star Shelton said he thought McLouglin was more suited to his "wheelhouse" with his acoustic style, the 24-year-old Bedford resident selected Team Adam Levine.

Following this blind audition phase, each artist sings a duet with a fellow contestant and is selected to move on or be eliminated by the judges. Then the live shows feature performances voted on the by viewing public. 

McLoughlin, 24, graduated from the Rippowam Cisqua School where he picked up his first guitar. He went on to graduate from the Wooster School in Danbury, CT, then graduated from Colgate University where he started the first college record label called Broad Street Records. He's on a current leave of absence from New York University's Steinhardt School of Music Management to pursue his dream of becoming a professional musician.

McLoughlin said he wanted to prove that his decision to follow a career in music was worthwhile. The show featured a clip of his mother, Nancy McLoughlin, saying she was "sad" he left school. After watching him select Team Levine, she said: "I was wrong."

You can purchase McLoughlin's audition song at  http://iTunes.com/thevoice  and follow him on https://twitter.com/McLoughlinMusic.

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